The Republic has fallen, and Sabé is alone. Her mistress, her lady, her best friend, is dead, and the twins are gone, one to be a princess, the other a moisture farmer. They will never know their mother, never know of her love for democracy, never know how much she cared for everyone, even those many considered practically untouchable.
The universe seems to be painted in dull shades of gray now, thanks to the death of one of the most influential women of the times, maybe even in history. The little girl who grew up to become queen, then senator, is now gone, and Sabé is left alone. The task Padmé gave her the last time they spoke is too much. How can she, a soft-spoken young woman from a mid-rim planet, aid in the creation of a rebellion? She is a woman of action, not politics!
There is only one other who truly understands, for he, too, has lost everything. The things they had dedicated their lives to are gone; for him it is his Order, for her, her queen. (Because Amidala may have been senator at the end of her life, but it was as queen that she gained Sabé's loyalty.) He and Sabé became friends in the heat of a desert, while they waited for their respective companions to return; he his master, she her lady. Their friendship has transcended the passing of time and distance, and though it always held a promise, it never became something more. But with the passing of that which held their loyalties, there is a small blossom of hope. Obi-Wan understands, and if when she falls sobbing into his arms and he holds her close, his own tears mingling with her hair, no one blames them. They are left behind, and in many ways that is so much worse.
Sabé travels more than she stays in a single place, now that the Empire has risen, and they keep careful record of everything. The others were killed when their mistress was, if they had not already escaped, and Sabé took advantage of the confusion. The tricks that were once used to protect their lady saved Sabé's life; Sabé is dead, according to the official records, and she laughs with black humor when she thinks of the fact that she has always flown below notice. Now she has disappeared completely. On many planets, Sabé has no name, merely known as "She-Who-Walks-Alone". It is an apt name, despite the way it almost breaks her heart every time she hears it. She longs to tell them that it was not always so, that once she was one of many. But it is not important, and so Sabé keeps silent.
Sabé goes everywhere, from Corellia to Shili to Ryloth. There she recruits, convincing hot-headed, angry young men and women to join a fledgling rebellion. Sabé would never have considered herself persuasive (that was always her lady), but when she mentions it to Obi-Wan over tea, he laughs and kisses her palm, smirking at her endearingly. It is an unspoken truth, acknowledged only by the two of them, that his hovel is her home, though she is not often there.
The years pass, and while Obi-Wan's hair is prematurely gray, hers remains thick and dark, her face unmarked by the passing of time. Sabé was never superstitious, but there are times she wonders if this is her punishment for living when her lady and her companions did not. It is a legend on Naboo that a handmaiden is bound to her lady forever, even passing death. Perhaps this is why Sabé continues with the task her lady gave her, despite the many years Padmé has been gone. Sabé may be exiled from the planet that is her past, but she will keep its legends alive. Even if those legends are her curse.
Padmé's son has grown up, the spitting image of his father. Luke also inherited his father's abilities, and he is powerful, according to Obi-Wan. Luke's deeper nature is that of his mother, however. Padmé as well held hope even in the darkest of times, and her faith in people was one of her greatest gifts, even though it was also her undoing. But no one will ever know that Luke is of the same mind as Senator Padmé Amidala. The queen is overshadowed by the Jedi, the Chosen One who was Luke's father.
She is with Leia Organa on several occasions (after all, Sabé and Senator Organa work together for the good of the rebellion) and she is suitably impressed. And haunted. Leia looks as much like her mother as Luke does his father, and Leia has the same power in her words, the same diplomatic ability as her mother. But Leia is also her father's daughter; fierce, passionate, burning like the twin suns of Tatooine. Sabé trains Leia to use her mother's gifts and strives to convince the girl to hide her father's characteristics. The recklessness that Leia displays is too familiar, too painful to bear. If something were to happen to her lady's children that she could have prevented, Sabé knows she will never forgive herself. Sabé trains the other girl, Winter, as well. Winter is to Leia what Sabé was to Padmé; a friend, confidant, and bodyguard. Sabé is fond of Winter, for she listens attentively and strives to learn all she can.
It is on one of her many trips, this time to Haruun Kal, when she hears of the destruction of Alderaan. Sabé cannot bear to feel anything, truthfully. She has lost Naboo, which was her true home. Alderaan was barely a preferred place to visit. She takes comfort in knowing that Leia was on a diplomatic mission, and would therefore not have been planet-side. She cannot fail her mistress again.
She receives Obi-Wan's transmission soon after, but she is on Rhodia when that happens. Something in his tone is so final that she gasps, excusing herself from the table. She is meeting with an informant and won't allow herself show any weakness. Deep down, she realizes he is gone: The only thing that made her feel at home is gone, and it will never come back. She returns to the meeting calmly, but cries herself to sleep that night, and for many nights after.
Sabé's work in the rebellion continues, but any joy that remained from her past is gone. She still travels everywhere, but no longer does she return to Tatooine. She cannot bear the sight of their bed or the few possessions they had there. She is old and young, invisible and yet visible and she almost wishes to die. But she cannot, not until she destroys the Empire that stole her life from her, not until she can pass on knowledge to Luke and Leia of their mother. Sabé refuses to let all trace of her lady die out.
And so Sabé hangs on to life, albeit unhappily. She may not show many signs of her age, but she can feel it in her bones. Everyone she knew when she was younger is gone, from her closest friends to fellow rebels. She wants to spend the rest of her life on Naboo, the home she has been denied since she was a young woman. The years have taken their toll on her spirit; she has been across the galaxy, visiting more planets than most anyone and she has seen the suffering of thousands of people. She longs for rest; for silence.
There are times she can still hear their screams and wails, and she closes in on herself, focusing on the positive memories in her life. She thinks of Padmé and her sister handmaidens and the fun they had during Queen Amidala's reign. She thinks of the years she served as Padmé's secret head of security. But mostly, Sabé remembers Obi-Wan. How it felt to talk to him, to watch the stars with him, to wake up next to him. For a long time, he was just about the only good thing in her life. And she thinks of how he never wanted her to be sad, and so she strives to be joyful. She is positive that the longer she pretends to smile, the easier it will be to actually do so.
Returning to Naboo nearly breaks her heart. Once beautiful and cultured, it is merely a shadow of its past glory. But the Naboo are rebuilding, slowly, and they have hopes for the future. Sabé visits the orphanage where she grew up and the shops she and Saché used to visit. Saché has been gone a long time, murdered by a false emperor's henchmen. Sabé has not permitted herself to think of the others since their deaths, but now the memories threaten to overwhelm her. She cannot stand seeing her face in the mirror; anicent and timeless, cold and unfeeling. She has long since closed herself over, plastering a diamond-hard mask onto her face until she does not think it will come off. She is disgusted by herself; how dare she live while the others died? Saché, Motée, Ellé, Rabé, Padmé, Obi-Wan? The list of names stretches onward, each one a slice into her heart. Each of them deserved a better lot in life than they received. Her sisters betrayed by a false emperor. Her lady by the government she dedicated her life to and the husband she nearly worshipped. Obi-Wan by his brother and the senate he served. Her time has come, and Obi-Wan is waiting for her.
And so she sends out the transmission to Leia. It is likely that Leia will remember her former tutor, but she never knew what Sabé really was, and Sabé doesn't tell her. After all, it is not her who needs remembering, but Padmé Amidala. Officially speaking, Sabé died when her lady and companions did, and Sabé is not one to go against the records. When it suits her, that is.
She lives alone, just outside of Theed, in a small home. It is similar to the one she shared with Obi-Wan, but no sand covers the floors at all times, and he is not there with her. There are times she would swear she can feel his presence, but she looks around and no one is there. It makes her worry for her sanity, but at this point in her life she could care less. Her sanity probably disappeared when everything she ever wanted and loved was ripped from her, piece by piece, person by person. She has probably been crazy since the love of her life sent her a transmission that broke whatever was left of her heart while she met with a Rhodian informant, seeking to bring about the downfall of the emperor she despised.
On a crisp spring morning she wakes feeling lighter than she has in decades. For a time she has felt as though her end were coming, and yet still she lives, waiting, for what she does not know. She has no family, no friends now, and only children occasionally visit. They call her tia, and listen to her tales of princes and princesses, knights and ladies. They needn't know that the princess was really a queen, the prince was really the Chosen One, the lady was a handmaiden, and the knight was a Jedi.
This morning there are no visitors, and for this Sabé is grateful. She loves the children, but today is special. To many, it is the day the Republic died and the Empire was born; to Luke and Leia it is their birthday. To Sabé, it is the day her lady died.
She can sense Obi-Wan more strongly today. Sabé can almost feel his lips on her palm and his hand on her waist. She sits in her garden, rejoicing in the scents she remembers so well from her younger days, when they walked through the gardens of the Theed Royal Palace.
Sabé is looking off toward Theed when she sees him again. He is smiling at her, that smirk she remembers so well, as he extends a hand to him. With joy in her heart, Sabé accepts it.
Finally, she is no longer alone.
A.N. This is my first foray into the Star Wars universe, and I'd love to know what you think.
-Dryad